Special Branch: Secrets and Lies by NEEDY

TALK STORY

Special Branch: Secrets and Lies

POSTED BY: NEEDY
UPDATED: Friday, August 3, 2007 04:54
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 14592
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Thursday, June 21, 2007 5:49 AM

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

OOC: I guess we're all needing a little inspiration

---

The Epsilon:

Milton breathed a huge sigh of relief when he was sure the person nearby had left.

It felt like they had stood there for minutes, even though it could only have been seconds. For a moment he was sure he had been discovered, but fortunately he hadn't. Still, his heart beated loud in his chest.

He wasn't even sure who it was, he had dare not look, but whoever it was, it wasn't Needy, and therefore he thought it was safer if he remained hidden.

Even though he didn't know if it was the wisest course of action, he needed to follow them. They had headed off in the direction of the personal quarters. And that's where he needed to be.
Amy was sure to be down there, he just hoped that this woman Ciaran wasn't with her.

---

Approaching the childrens' room, fortunately without having run into any trouble as of yet, he put his ear to the door.

He couldn't hear much through it, only the slightest rumble. Someone was in there, moving. Then, he heard whispered voices. Nothing he could make out clearly, but voices nevertheless.

He tapped gently on the door, hoping that whoeverwas inside would let him in.

The room inside seemed to go silent.

What now?

He tapped again, a bit louder this time, but not so much that it would echo down the halls.
"Amy?" he whispered gently

Just then the door opened, and he had to lean back so that he didn't fall in.

"Milton?" Amy asked in her normal voice, seemingly quite surprised to see him

He pressed his finger to his lips as he invited himself in.

"I thought you stayed behind on the dwarf?" Amy said

"Shh" he said, shutting the door behind him.

Two of the young girls sat quietly on their respective beds, having been watched over by Amy who still held a children's story book in her hands. The other two must have been in the adjoining room.

"What's wrong?" She asked in a quieter tone, although not yet whispering

"It's Ciaran, the wowan from the dwarf, she's stolen the ship" Milton divulged

"What the dwarf?"

"No, this one. This ship. I think we're in danger"

"What? That's impossible." she objected "We haven't seen her so much as set foot on this ship"

Milton paused as he pondered how to explain himself without terrifying her and the children who may or may not have been listening.

"It was Safe who gave the orders." Amy explained "Flechette said something about a bomb on board the Dwarf, Safe wanted us to get clear for the children's safety"

"Then what are you doing here?"

"She thought it was best I looked after the children. Kept them occupied whilst she, I don't dunno, handled the situation"

Milton frowned causing Amy to stop and think it through
Flechette had seemed to be acting rather off

"Where is she now?" Milton asked.

"I... don't know."

---

Elsewhere, lying propped up against the airlock door beside a puddle of blood, Flechette remains unconscious.

-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?

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Saturday, June 23, 2007 11:13 PM

SERYN

Quote:
Originally posted by safeat2nd:
“The damage to the engine by that Jezebel, was cosmetic. We’re back in business.”

Seryn sighed her relief at Versa's words, but only inwardly, her face remained set in the same expression it had worn since her son had been carried away from her. She figured it was the reason other members of the crew were skipping around her perimeter now. All except Soul, nothing seemed to phase him, but then, he had the same expression on his face.

After feeding in the coordinates, completing the checks, it fell mainly to Maxine to keep the Dwarf going right - that didn't leave enough for her to do, so to avoid dwelling, and the inevitable decent into hysteria that that would bring about, she took out the wrap of cloth containing the char charts and papers she'd been working with the last few days. She was so glad she'd brought this with her, there was no way she would want this comprimised. She'd been careful, only making marks in vague ways, no labels or explainations, and all of her working out on one small scrap of paper that could be shredded or burnt or even eaten if needed. Only a few more calculations were needed, she had a the planet, now she only had to work out the co-ordinates.
In any other situation the fact that the clue to them lay in a particularly dirty limerick her uncle had taught her, would have had her laughing like a drain.
But not today.

She completed them, looking up at Soul, wondering if now was the time to tell him that she had found a solution to their long term needs - a facility... a house, a lovenest even, built into the rock of a sparsely colonised moon, invisible from the air and on the ground, and hard to track with conventional tech due to the mineral make up of most of the moons surface.

It was a base, a hide out, and a place to rest - she'd been obsessed with finding it since the yleft Boros - before even, she thought of the idea while recovering in Sykes' own hidden workplace. She's thought it had been her uncles place to take his mistresses and hide from his marriage, but since the discovery in Ciarans rooms, she thought maybe he had other reason to hide. Not that her aunt wasn't scary enough...

So they had somewhere to to, once they got the ship and the children back...

Her face hardened again, no, it could wait. Folding the scrap of paper up small she tucked it into her clothing and folded the charts back up. Then turned to Maxine.

"Any sign of the Epsilon?"

Isn't sanity really a one trick pony, anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking! But when you're good and crazy...ooh hoo hoo hoo... the skys the limit!
http://www.myspace.com/seryndippyt

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Tuesday, June 26, 2007 7:29 AM

SAFEAT2ND

OOC: Sorry for the absenteeism. Work is sooo stressful and short staffed, I've hardly had time to even check in here let alone write. Add that to being out every night of the week for my little ones soccer and my playing baseball and that equals a decidedly quiet muse. Plus I just flew back from a Newfoundland excursion, boy are my arms tired...waka waka waka....{groan}. Here's a picture of the icebergs I saw.

I'll try to contribute for Maxine and Cirian shortly.

_______________________________________________________________
"Got a headful of lightning
And a heart full of rain
And I know that I said
I'd never do it again
Oh and I love you sweet baby but I always take the long way home."

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Friday, June 29, 2007 6:47 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

Safe - You've certainly been busy. Love the photo though, it looks awesome. Look forward to your next post

*****

Eighteen Years Ago:

The boy was only ten years old, but he knew what real humiliation was.
His father had been labelled a "crazy person" for years, and that label extended to his family.
The boy was "Crazy Earl's son", his mother was "that poor woman" and his father... his father brought the streets to life with talk.

The older man had lost everything, threw it all away one might say, in the pursuit of a truth - a truth that would not find him.

He wanted answers, but he only wanted the answers he wanted to hear. He wanted his theories to be corrobrated, the accusations against him to be invalidated and his life's work to be appreciated.

But he was nothing more than a joke. An ex-cop who lost it on the job and killed a man. He was lucky not to be put away, but he had a family and just cause. Still, he stood by his story. The man he killed was no man, he claimed, but something else entirely.
"The supernatural is not a myth" he'd profess - he'd shout it from the top of the hills - but nobody would believe him.
Nobody but his son, who wanted to believe everything that his father told him.
Even if the whole town viewed him as a dangerous lunatic, he would stand by him.
And so he did.
He stood by him.
He stood up for him - accepted ridicule from his peers, from his neighbours, even from his own mother.

He remained loyal to his father, who now lay on his deathbed. His reputation had been dragged through the mud. He had lost everything dear to him, everything but his son.
He should have had regrets, but he was too stubborn for that. He was right and he knew it.
Maybe, one day when he's dead and buried, he will finally be proven right.
"Earl Payne wasn't a crazy man," they'll say, "just crazy enough to face the things we all fear the most. The unknown"

"They will admit it. They were wrong, every single one of them" his son grew to believe. "I'll prove them wrong"

Present Day:

Clayton sat by himself in the quaint little cafe, the meeting place he and Kurren had agreed on.

It was as safe a place as anyone could imagine. It was public, and the usual place ones go to talk. That's all this was. A chance to talk. To find out all he could about Needy from this Kurren character.

Admittedly, his search into Kurren had brought up little. There was hardly any information on this guy, surprising considering the amount of resources the reporter had at his disposal.

In fact, there was nothing he found using his usual sources. The only information gathered came from his colleague Robert Wu - presumably through his links in the Resistance.
All he could establish was that Kurren was indeed a Bounty Hunter and had worked with the Blue Sun Corporation on a job or two. There was even rumblings he had been personally hired by The Alliance on a special operation, though the exact nature of said operation was strictly top secret.

Whoever this Kurren was, he was obviously a professional and therefore quite dangerous.
But he needed to know the truth about Needy and any information on where he was currently would be a huge help.
He needed to tread very carefully.

Just then, a bell jingled and a large man entered the cafe.

This is it

-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?

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Monday, July 2, 2007 1:58 PM

SAFEAT2ND

OOC: Sorry for the delay. Hope this fits the bill Needy and Wisp. Let me know and I'll change it if need be.

The plan had been simple, get on the Dwarf, accompany the crew to their planned meeting to expose the current presidential schemes, get seen in enough public spaces disguised as Ciaran, then kill the Dwarf’s ‘Weapon’ a credible witness while disguised as Soul and once the real Soul arrives, following the leads that his beloved was alive, arrest him and collect the bounty.

Simple, that is, until that …jien huo… Maxine caught wind of it and sabotaged the engines. Where had she slipped up? No matter, there is still the opportunity to salvage the goal, no thanks to the crew of this decrepit heap, Epsilon. Ciaran looked about the cockpit in disgust.

She would get to the meeting place ahead of them and set up her trap. More importantly, she had hostages to ensure that her second quarry, Soul, would follow.

Now all she had to do was get this junk heap to the planet surface in one piece.

‘Ciaran’ turned to close the door to the cockpit, no need for any noseybodies interrupting her, and froze. Standing in the doorway was the dark haired, ponytailed, girl.

Vixen stopped momentarily confused when the figure in the cockpit turned and faced her, Wisp??

“How did…” both ‘Ciaran’ and Vixen blurt at the same time. Neither finishes the sentence and a strained silence hangs between them.

‘Ciaran’ had been at this a long time and she rarely missed a beat. She knew her ‘gift’ would draw the appropriate image from the other persons head. Her only pause was to figure out who. Going into a situation, she liked to study the people involved and formulate a plan of attack, so she knew who she would be seen as or make herself be seen as, but in situations like this it was always harder. It helped that she had a knack at reading people, she had spent time as a fortune teller honing that skill, but the crew of the Epsilon had been exceptionally hard to fool, and she had almost been caught more times than she had in her whole storied career.

Vixens eyes harden.

“Same way as you. You think I’d let you do this by yourself?” Bingo. That seemed to ease her off. “’Sides, she ain’t here. She’s locked the controls too. Seems we’re planet bound. Might as well sit back and enjoy the ride. We’ll signal Safe from there.”

Had Wisp actually been there, he would have seen a rare sight indeed, Vixen smiled. A big, toothy smile. “Ok, you’re the boss. Whatever you say goes. Can I sit up front with you? I do so like to see the stars…” She smiled at ‘Ciaran’ again. If I have to do this much longer, I’m gonna puke.

Out of the corner of her eye, Vixen saw two figures approach from the back. She hit the button closing the door to the cockpit.

Meanwhile at the back hatch of the Epsilon, Flechette groaned and forced her way to her knees. Her vision swam and her head pounded prompting her to empty her stomach. She forced herself to her feet, clutching the doorframe. I’ve got to warn Amy.

_______________________________________________________________
"Got a headful of lightning
And a heart full of rain
And I know that I said
I'd never do it again
Oh and I love you sweet baby but I always take the long way home."

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Tuesday, July 3, 2007 3:52 AM

WASHSYOUNGERSEXIERBR

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

On the Dwarf One of the Monitors reading Wisps life signs Began to bleed furiously. Maxine jumped across the room to read the monitors with a concerned expression on her face. The noise awoke Safe from his slumber as Maxine began dashing furiously around the room looking in the backs of drawers and cupboards after a much unused piece of medical equipment.

"whats Happening??" Safe groaned as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Wisp looked the same as He had before he slept so what was up now?

"He's got a subneural haemoridge, The pressures squeezing his brain ive gotta relive it"

"What??" Safe questioned "where do you need me?"

Maxine found what she was after and turned round with it in her hand. "You clamp his head while I drill the holes"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Meanwhile on The Epsilon

As the door closed 'Wisps' Attention was torn between it and the figures that had entered. One place where it wasnt focused was Vixens quick left hook which caught him offguard. Neither was it focused on her right leg sweeping him off his feet. He rectified the situation though by planting his boot squarely in her chest and drawing a twin set off pistols.

"You Two who are you?" he said as they emerged from th shadows.

www.myspace.com/didxl

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Tuesday, July 3, 2007 6:34 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

Needy had had his eyes closed ever since Milton had left him there on his own in the storage room, seemingly dead to the world.

He sat upright against the wall, breathing slowly but surely.
His body had been drained of energy but now he found that the power had returned to him.
He felt alive, vigorous, as if he was a new man.

As he opened his eyes slowly he held up his hand and stared into it.

For the first time he could appreciate the miraculous nature of the human body, its beautiful construct and the sinful way in which pretty much every healthy person takes it for granted.
Life was a gift.
Being able to touch, to hold someone, to affect another persons life, to affect the world... was remarkable.

It took the threat of death for him to realise this.

But never again. Never again would he take life for granted.
He had been to the brink. He had stared death in the face, but he wasn't ready. There was so much he could accomplish. So much he will accomplish.

Standing up slowly he smiled.
It was an old ironic cliche but it's true, its only when you face death, can you truly embrace life

-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007 9:20 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

OOC:
Just started a Guide to SPECIAL BRANCH here: http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=11&t=29509&m=515057

This is just a guide, and not a new thread for the story.

It's a work in progress, but hopefully, like TRM's work for the Sereni-Tree threads, will be a helpful way to keep track of characters, ships and ongoing stories.
I'll post "photos" of the characters too eventually

-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?

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Thursday, July 5, 2007 6:32 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

OOC: It seems we're leading into the showdown now, so guess what? Here's a long post!

---

Minutes earlier:

Quote:
Originally posted by safeat2nd:

Meanwhile at the back hatch of the Epsilon, Flechette groaned and forced her way to her knees. Her vision swam and her head pounded prompting her to empty her stomach. She forced herself to her feet, clutching the doorframe. I’ve got to warn Amy.

Milton and Amy entered the outer corridor and locked both of the children's rooms behind them
They both looked left and right down the long corridor, contemplating where to go.
The right led to the cockpit, whereas in the opposite directon was the engine room, the storage space Milton had himself arrived in and the airlock.
"C'mon" he whispered, taking her by the hand and leading her towards the further end of the ship.

"But, the cockpit... shouldn't we try and turn the ship around?" Amy faltered
"It's probably too dangerous. C'mon we've gotta get help"

"Wha.. where are y...?" Amy started but her words fell by the wayside. Already the two of them were running down the fairly narrow corridor, Amy putting her complicit trust in Milton knowing what he was doing.

They had just reached the door to the storage room when a staggering figure emerged ahead of them.

“Flechette” Amy called out, running towards the person before Milton had a chance to stop her.

“Amy… wait!” he called out, running to catch up.

The bleeding woman almost collapsed as Amy reached her – seemingly all of her energy had been put in reaching it thus far. “Amy,” she started just as Milton reached them “it’s Safe… he’s lost it. I dunno what’s going on, but we have to find him”

“No” Milton interrupts

Flechette is still holding her head in pain and struggling to stay standing, but she can still manage the filthiest “who the hell are you to tell me” look.

“I don’t think it was Safe.”

“I know what I saw” Flechette argued, but was interrupted again.

“Amy said you told her this ship needed to get clear, something about a bomb.” Milton explained.

“I did not” She responded, shooting a look at Amy before thinking to herself Did I?

“No, I know. It’s the woman, Ciaran. She’s took control. She can appear as anyone she wants… or something”

Flechette now looks with more disdain than ever at Milton. He was talking complete gose. That is, until Amy confirmed it.
“I think he’s right. I mean, I’m almost certain it was you who told me. No, it was you. Maybe we’re both wrong and he’s right, this woman really can do these things. We’ve seen stranger”

Flechette held her head down and collapsed onto the wall in exhaustion. “So what do we do?”

Amy looked at Milton for guidance “Yeah, can we take her?”

“No. we can’t. But I might be able to.” He said

“And how’s that?” Flechette scoffed

“Look at you, you can hardly stand. Plus we need someone to look after the children.”

“The children…” Flechette all of a sudden remembered “Where are they?”

“They’re in bed, clueless to the whole thing.” Amy explained “But we locked them in their rooms for their own safety”

“But they can’t be left there indefinitely. I need you to go back with Flechette and watch over them” Milton instructed, finally coming into his own.

“But. I can help” she told him

“You are helping. You’re helping Flechette, you’re helping keep the children safe.”

“But…”

“No. You have to do that. I’ll be fine. She doesn’t know I’m here. She won’t see me coming”

“But you can’t take him… her on your own.” Flechette muttered “She’s no amateur, she’s had training, she took me out in seconds, and I’ve been in a few fights over the years”

“We’ll be fine” a voice called from behind them.

“Needy” Milton responded as he turned. “You’re good for this?”

“Of course, but we must go now. Time is running out” he said simply.

As Amy helped Flechette as they made their way back to the rooms, Milton and Needy ran ahead towards the cockpit.

They slowed and quietened their pace as they reached the open door to the cockpit. Seperating so that they stood out of sight either side of the entrance, Needy and Milton looked at each other. In the room they could hear two people talking. One of them belonged to Vixen and the other… was one Milton couldn’t quite grasp. It was familiar. Really familiar. But he couldn’t for the life of him place it.

His heart once more was beating a thousand times a second, his hands were shaking and if he for one second listened to his brain, it would tell him to get the hell out of there and run for his life. Fortunately, he wasn’t on speaking terms with his brain right now. His heart was talking.
This was about doing the right thing for once. Not “the right thing” as in screwing up royally and letting the Alliance know where The Resistance was hiding. The right thing as in saving the ship. The lives of everyone on board – the children, Flechette… Amy. And boy did the thought of Amy’s life in danger spur him on.

Needy looked across at him and gave him the nod to go.

Silently they moved in, keeping to the shadows.

Vixen caught a glimpse of them and proved she was the one and only Vixen by locking the door behind them.

Quote:
Originally posted by WashsYoungerSexierBrother:

As the door closed 'Wisps' Attention was torn between it and the figures that had entered. One place where it wasnt focused was Vixens quick left hook which caught him offguard. Neither was it focused on her right leg sweeping him off his feet. He rectified the situation though by planting his boot squarely in her chest and drawing a twin set off pistols.

"You Two who are you?" he said as they emerged from th shadows.

Milton and Needy stepped forwards revealing themselves.
Only, much to Milton’s surprise, he wasn’t facing “Ciaran”
Suddenly he felt a fool for not being able to place the voice. It was “Amy” standing there in front of him.

-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007 4:06 AM

WASHSYOUNGERSEXIERBR

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

The drill made a stomach turning noise as it bored through Wisps skull. Maxine had already used a scalpel to remove an area of flesh so blood wasnt splattering everywhere. Safe could feel the vibrations coming through the clamps he was holding.

He'd seen men die many times, Hell he'd killed plenty. But it was entirley different watching a young kid you knew getting holes drilled into his brain. As the last layer of bone was broken through a spurt of blood shot out onto Maxines mask. As she wiped the from the bone the vital signs on the monitors began returning to a normal steady hum. She placed a loose swab on the hole and put the drill down.

"He should be fine, we just need to watch for infection"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.

Meanwhile on the Epsilon Vixen wasnt fine as she lay unconsious on the ship being flown to god knows where in the galaxy by a shape shifting villain whos only hope was an immortal exwhore and his protege.

www.myspace.com/didxl

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007 5:26 AM

KYRA

Who we are depends on the outcome of the struggle between who we were and who we want to be

Excerpt from the auto-biographical book "...And Nothing But The Truth" by Kyra McTaggert:

The Dwarf seemed to be running smoothly, sailing through the black after the crew's stolen ship, that is until the young soldier known as Wisp took a turn for the worst.

The vessel's pilot Maxine had jumped to life to save the man's life... I guess she was doing her best to make up for the rest of the crew - they had hardly been much help. Still, I guess in their situation, they could hardly be blamed for being wary of others.

I stepped away from it all. I couldn't help them, I had next to none medical training, and my queasiness when it came to blood pretty much guaranteed I'd be useless in any other way.

I had kept Julie and Linda company for a while whilst Soul talked to Liam, but after that was over, I was on my own. They wanted to stick together.

Soul kept quiet about the whole conversation, at least to me, I still don't know if it was because he didn't trust me, or if he felt it would be better if it didn't get out.
Whatever the reason, he knew about this "weapon" the ship had concealed somewhere, and by the look on his face, he didn't like it.
It was as if he knew that helping them deliver it, was going to be trouble than it was worth.
---

Soul quietly stepped out into the corridor, leaving the cockpit for somewhere even less homely.
He didn't want any of this, it had been a supremely bad few days, and it weren't over yet.
If what Liam had told him was true, and Soul was sure it had been this time, then the most valuable person on this ship had yet to be discovered. But that was about to change.

"Where is he?" Soul had demanded of Liam

At first, the captain had refused to say, but soon succumbed - not by force, but by the need to.

"Same place you got that" Liam replied, eyeing the laptop in Soul's hands.

"That's impossible, I checked the room out."

"We didn't make it this far by hiding one of this group's best kept secrets simply under the bed"

Soul glared at the man. He didn't know whether to like him more or less for his abilities to hide something this grand from the Alliance, and do it right under their noses too.

"Where" Soul asked.

"In the wall"

Soul raised his eyebrows as part of a question that didn't need asking.

"The wall's a fake" Liam explained "The real wall is a few feet deeper. There's a grating in the bottom right corner, partially obscured by the desk. Loosen that and you're in. Got a bit of leg room, not much. Not real comfortable I imagine, but enough to keep you out of sight."

Soul entered the blackened room once more, the smell of burnt wood reminding him of a happier time, back when things were simpler, a lifetime ago.

The desk in the corner was just as it had been before, only the grating stood out even more now, knowing its implications.

Moving slowly towards it, he crouched and whispered words that couldn't be picked up from where Kyra was standing.

She had followed him in the shadows. Quite how Soul had not picked up on this fact was maybe down to the fact that his mind was elsewhere. OR maybe he did know, and didn't have the heart to turn her away.

But as she peeked into the room, she could see the man slowly pulling off the grating, first one side then the other - he didn't want to alert the others - then when he was done, he pulled back, as if waiting for something.

Then, "the something" appeared.

A man exited from behind the wall.
His clothes were dusty and his face was covered in dirt. He wiped his eyes with a clean bit of his wrist that had previously been covered by his sleeve, and slowly crawled towards Soul.

The mysterious man's eyes were a brilliant green, and though his clothes were dishevelled, his hair a mess, there was something very familiar about him. She knew him. She didn't know from where, but she was sure of it. She knew him.

Just then, those brilliant green eyes settled on Kyra. And the way he froze alerted Soul of her presence too.

No point hiding now she figured as she stepped forward. "What is this?"

Soul looked at the man then back at Kyra.
"Get in here" he said hastily "and close the door"

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007 7:26 AM

SAFEAT2ND

Safe looks up at Maxine, “Nice work there.”

Maxine shrugs “Fly enough medical evacs and you pick up a few things, ‘sides it’s not like we were exempt from being shot at.” She says the last statement like it left a bad taste in her mouth. “When the medics go down, someone has to step up.”

Safe lets the words hang in the air. Shame had sealed his lips. The Alliance had ordered the medical evacs to be fired upon, a back-breaking maneuver meant to demoralize and weaken the Browncoats resolve. It went against all his principles but war was war.

“Is he going to be all right?” Safe said, finally breaking the silence. He avoided eye contact under the pretence of cleaning his hands.

“Yeah, but he needs to see a doctor sooner than later.”

“Hey, wait-a-minue!” Safe said looking up. “We have a doctor on board!” Hopefully he was on the Dwarf and not on the Epsilon.

****
On the Epsilon:

Ciaran, Needy and Milton stared at each other in the cramped cockpit, Vixen lay crumpled at their feet.

Who were they seeing? Ciaran thought, trying to plan her next move. Judging by the look on the Boy Whores’ companion’s face, it was someone totally unexpected… a loved one perhaps? No… someone he wanted to get close to...

“We need to tie her up.” Ciaran said looking into Milton’s eyes with what she hoped came across a slightly panicked yet breathlessly attractive. C’mon, take the bait

Milton bent to help Ciaran/Amy tie up Vixen.

“What are you doing.”

Needy’s words stopped him short. It wasn’t that it was said with force or even surprise, it was the flatness of it that gave Milton pause. He looked up at his mentor questioningly.

“Tying her up. You yourself said she wasn’t to be completely trusted.”

Ciaran inwardly ground her teeth while maintaining a puzzled look on the outside. This mission wasn’t turning out to be the ‘cake-run’ she expected it to be. DAMN! Who is he seeing?

_______________________________________________________________
"Got a headful of lightning
And a heart full of rain
And I know that I said
I'd never do it again
Oh and I love you sweet baby but I always take the long way home."

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007 9:45 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

Quote:
Originally posted by safeat2nd:
“We need to tie her up.” Ciaran said looking into Milton’s eyes with what she hoped came across a slightly panicked yet breathlessly attractive. C’mon, take the bait

Milton bent to help Ciaran/Amy tie up Vixen.

“What are you doing.”

Needy’s words stopped him short. It wasn’t that it was said with force or even surprise, it was the flatness of it that gave Milton pause. He looked up at his mentor questioningly.

“Tying her up. You yourself said she wasn’t to be completely trusted.”

"No" Needy said to Milton, before looked up at Ciaran with a blazing intensity that could not be mistaken. "She's not"

He could see straight through her veiled persona. She wasn't Soul's Ciaran, she wasn't Amy, and she certainly wasn't the person Needy's brain told him she was. She was a facade. A fake.

Quote:
Originally posted by safeat2nd:
Ciaran inwardly ground her teeth while maintaining a puzzled look on the outside. This mission wasn’t turning out to be the ‘cake-run’ she expected it to be. DAMN! Who is he seeing?

As she struggled to discern his thoughts, Milton stopped what he was doing and looked up at the both of them, staring at each other.
Then Needy's face when blank and his tone cold "You can't trick the trickster"

Ciaran's face dropped and, with a slight hint of fear in her voice, she asked "What?"

"I. See. You." Needy responded before driving the palm of his hand into her chest, throwing her across the room.

"What the...?!!" Milton exclaimed scrambling to his feet. He began to run to "Amy", but Needy had grabbed him by the scruff of his collar.

"It's not her." Needy said.

"What?"

"Open your eyes" Needy instructed, placing his hand on Milton's head. Then without warning, a short burst of energy shot from his palm, sending Milton crashing to the floor.

Shaking his head, he looked back up at Needy standing there ominously. "What... what's happened to you?!"

"He's gone crazy," "Amy" said "you've gotta stop him"

Milton gasped as he took it all in, whilst behind him "Amy" called out to him again.

"You've got to stop him!"

Needy had never looked so menacing from up there, towering over Milton as he crawled backwards. With Vixen still out cold, he was on his own.

"I can't..." Milton began to break down.

Then Needy opened his mouth to speak again, his tone as terrifying and intimidating as ever. "Look at her!"

"No" Milton pleaded.

Needy bent down and lifted Milton completely off of the floor with one hand

"Please..." Milton continued.

"Look at her!!" Needy growled, forcing the young protege to do as he asked out of fear if nothing else.

There, the helpless form of "Amy" stood, her head bleeding and tears beginning to run down her face.

"Hundan" Milton muttered under his breath. "How could you..." his words trailed off as the form in front of his eyes began to change.
The image of "Amy" blurred, morphed and melted before him, until all that remained was something else. Someone he'd never seen before.

"See her true face" Needy told him, lowering his arm so that Milton's feet touched the floor once again.

"Wh..." was all Milton could manage.

"Ciaran's" teeth began to clench and the anger rose in her.

"The game's up" Needy told her "you've got nothing on us. Now let's finish this"

-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?

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Friday, July 27, 2007 9:18 AM

SAFEAT2ND

Ciaran’s gaze darted from one man to the other, a bead of nervous sweat ran down the back of her neck. She could feel her time running out and she was low on options. Drastic times call for drastic measures.

“Can’t you see??” She pleaded to Milton. She figured him for the weaker willed of the two especially after seeing the steel in Needy’s gaze.

“It’s not him, it’s her!! She’s making you see something else. Making you see me as someone else!!” Ciaran wondered at the wetness forming in the corners of her eyes… tears?? “Don’t you think if I were her or she, me, that I would’ve attacked by now?? You’ve seen what she did to the others, right?? Think about it. You KNOW me!”

At Ciaran’s first words, Milton looked at Needy, doubt creeping into the pit of his stomach, then back at Ciaran who once again appeared to him as Amy.

“He attacked first!!’ Ciaran pointed an accusing finger at Needy. Upon noticing that her finger was shaking, she lowered to her side in disgust. “HE lifted you off the floor with one hand! How do you explain that??” It was working! Confusion was now clearly evident on Milton’s face.

“Go ahead, ask him how he did that? How did he make you see me as someone else??” Ciaran now concentrated solely on Milton. Frankly, Needy’s stone faced expression was starting to unnerve her. “GO AHEAD ASK HIM!!”

The yelling had brought Vixen back around. She chose though to continue to play possum. It gave her time to assess the situation, and find her opening to strike. More importantly she wanted to see how this new Needy was going to act. See how this was going to play out. If nothing else, she was an opportunist.

Finally, Milton did exactly what Ciaran had set him up to do.

Vixen watched the events unfold like slow motion. Milton turned his full attention from Ciaran to Needy, the question forming on his lips. Ciaran raised a gun from out of nowhere. At her current aim, the bullet would pass through Milton and hit Needy.

Vixen was in the right position to kick Milton’s feet out from under him, taking him out of the line of fire, but she didn’t. She had time to jump up and distract or disarm the Wisp imposter, but she didn’t.

Needy’s arm flew out, knocking Milton to the side just as Ciaran/Amy/Wisp pulled the trigger.

The guns retort was like an explosion in the cramped confines.

The bullet caught Needy square in the chest driving him backwards against the bulkhead. He slumped forward momentarily, then did a very strange thing. He straightened back up. The hole in his chest slowly closing back up, leaving only the torn and charred shirt as a reminder of what happened.

Interesting… Vixen thought.

“.....” Milton gapped.

“Impossible!!” Ciaran screamed and emptied the remainder of the clip into Needy’s chest, continuing to pull the trigger long after all the bullets were spent.

OOC: I'll be away on holidays starting next Thursday for 2 weeks. Going out east, Nova Scotia bound. I'm gonna fish and eat seafood until I bust I'll try to check in when I can.

_______________________________________________________________
"Got a headful of lightning
And a heart full of rain
And I know that I said
I'd never do it again
Oh and I love you sweet baby but I always take the long way home."

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Tuesday, July 31, 2007 4:38 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

Cally's Cafe, Boros:

Clayton stood up as Kurren entered the quiet little diner.
The two of them acknowledged each others presence, and the large man began to make his way over towards the reporter.
Kurren was a large muscular man, but not so much that it made him stand out from the crowd. He was dressed subtly in dark grey trousers, a plain sand-coloured shirt that clung tight to his well-toned body, and a light jacket. His dreadlocked hair was tied at the back, coming down below his broad shoulders.

The man, who chosen profession could be simplified as being "an avid collector", pulled out the chair across the table from Clayton and sat down.

Clayton's lips pressed against each other, and he sat down again, hoping he hadn't drawn too much attention to them.

"So... talk" Kurren instructed.

"You first" Clayton threw back at him.

"No. You wanted this meeting. I came here to meet you. You've offered nothing so far." Kurren paused. "You first."

Clayton wasn't backing down though. "Look I'm a reporter, I can help you track this man down. This Needy character? I know him, I know all about him, what he's capable of. And I know you. You need my help"

"You don't know me, nor what I'm capable of" Kurren said, standing up to leave. "Don't waste my time again"

Clayton watched him walk away, desperate to stand his ground, but failing miserably in achieving anything by it. "Hey" he called out, but Kurren was already out the door.

---

The reporter would follow him, Kurren knew this. Clayton needed him more than the bounty hunter needed Clayton.

As he walked away from the diner, he could hear the man coming after him. "Hey" he called out, causing Kurren to slowly turn.

"Alright, okay, I'll tell you what I know" Clayton surrendered.

Kurren didn't respond, merely waited for him to continue.

"So this guy, Needy. He's in over his head. It's because of what happened to the CG right? What he did. That's why you're here right? It's why you're looking for him"

"What about the CG?" Kurren searched

"They arrested him, him and his friends. Held them in containment for a while until he..."

"Yeah?" the bounty hunter asked in a gruff voice.

"Until he punished them for what they did."

"He killed them" Kurren clarified

"No he... defended himself"

"He slaughtered them"

Clayton was about to defend the companion further, but ultimately stopped himself.

"Your friend is a dangerous man." Kurren said "What is it you want?"

"I want... I want you to tell me where he is."

Kurren smiled slyly. "I thought a man with your resources would already have that information"

"I've told you what I know, now you tell me what you know" Clayton demanded.

"That's not how this works" Kurren revealed.

"No? Then how does it work?"

"I walk. Now" Kurren turned from the reporter and walked off.

"Hey!" Clayton called out but the man wasn't listening.

People in the street began to notice the two now and had turned their attention to them as they passed by.

"You can't stop him you know that." Clayton shouted at the man "He killed your friends, and he won't spare you"

Kurren stopped and turned. "Is that a threat?" he called.

"Just a fact."

"Is that right?" Kurren replied "How would you be of any help then?"

Clayton walked towards him, closing the gap and hopefully reducing the chances of others hearing anymore of their conversation.

"I can get close to him. You... he'll smell you coming from a mile"

"And how would you stop him?"

"This isn't the only time something like this has happened. You need someone close to him... someone to make him see sense."

Kurren stopped to think about this for a while, before coming to the conclusion "Yeah, you're right. Someone close to him. I'll keep that in mind." At that, he walked off again.

Clayton jogged to keep up with him, but when he reached his side, Kurren suddenly turned, slogged him in the stomach and threw him to the ground.

Dust rose up from the earth as a breathless Clayton looked up in confusion.
"Not you" Kurren laughed. "It'd need to be someone he really cared for". And with that, the hunter walked off once more, leaving the reporter sitting in the dirt.

Clayton wheezed as he tried to catch his breath, whilst the large figure in the distance got smaller and smaller. "What?" he thought to himself. "What just happened?"
Then, the full extent of what he had just instructed the mercenary to do hit home

-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?

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Wednesday, August 1, 2007 2:37 AM

WASHSYOUNGERSEXIERBR

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

The Sun beat down fiercly on the clear blue water wipping up faint trails of vapour which contrasted against the backdrop of the sea reaching out below the cliffs. Around the pool sat a crisp sandstone Patio with a single lounger shaded by a single umbrella. A waitress appeared from behind a bamboo bar across the pool carrying a tall drink with beads of sweat pouring over the glass. She was amazingly beautiful; tall, blonde hair, legs that seemed to last forever, and she wore a sensually revealling bikini and serong.

She delivered the glass to a young man layed on the lounger who lowered his sunglasses as she approached. She placed the glass on the small table beside him and spoke in a husky sexy voice

"Is there anything else I can do for you??"

"I hope Im not interrupting" A tall man dressed in a very crisp white suit had appeared from nowhere.

Wisp waved a hand at the waitress who strutted away obviously dissapointed. "Your different from the last one"

"Perhaps. I must say this is all rather cliched" He waved a hand around the beach resort situated on a cliff top. The waitress was now naked and swimming in the pool.

"Hey you cant invade someones coma and then complain about the scenery" Wisp lifted the drink and began sipping it as he threw a loose shirt around himself. "so to what do I owe this pleasure"

"Dangerous games are afoot and you will soon find yourselves in over your heads."

"Hey we can all handle ourselves pretty well, weve beaten the alliance often enough"

"You will be facing foes much worse im am just here to prepare you"

"Well can you prepare me later after me and Juanita over there have had our fun, or is that too cliched?"

The tall man turned and walked away disappearing into the wind as Wisp took a serious thought with his drink in the privacy of his own mind.

www.myspace.com/didxl

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Wednesday, August 1, 2007 5:53 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

OOC: LOL, excellent post. I kinda wanna stay there with Wisp now. Things seem much nicer there

Quote:
Originally posted by safeat2nd:
“Impossible!!” Ciaran screamed and emptied the remainder of the clip into Needy’s chest, continuing to pull the trigger long after all the bullets were spent.

Ciaran's mouth remained open as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened, how the man that should by all accounts be dead, was still standing.

Milton was on his back, shielding his eyes from the gut-wrenching sight of seeing his friend being hit with bullet after bullet.

Meanwhile, Vixen remained still, both shaken and thrilled by what she had just witnessed. She continued to play unconscious, but the time to act would come soon enough.

Needy, leaning back against the wall, breathed deeply and slowly as the final bulletwounds healed over. Inside, some of the bullets had punctured major organs, but it was of no ill-effect. They had healed over almost instantaneously.

He looked up at Ciaran, his expression reflecting annoyance more than anger.

She gasped and struggled to find words that would not come.
Then, something distracted her attention - a flashing red light and a double beep sounded from the navigation system.

She turned suddenly and attempted to fire her weapon at it, but to no avail.

This was all Vixen needed. She launched herself up from the floor and threw herself at the woman, before Ciaran barely had a chance to acknowledge her.

Meanwhile, the navigation system continued to beep, waiting for someone to switch it off.
The ship had reached its destination - Santos

-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?

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Thursday, August 2, 2007 7:17 AM

SAFEAT2ND

Vixen caught Ciaran around the waist in a tackle. Driving up and backwards, Vixen lifted Ciaran’s feet clear of the floor and slammed her into the cockpit hatch. The door popped open and the two tumbled through the short connecting passage into the medical pod, landing in a tangled heap on the floor.

Vixen cartwheeled to a standing position, only to find Ciaran already standing. A sneer curled Vixen’s lips, as the two circled each other.

An overwhelmed Milton stood in the hatch, appalled by the scene before him yet thrilled at the same time. He turned to Needy, expecting to see the husk of his former mentor, but instead found himself looking into his piercing eyes. That’s when the world shifted for him. Everything he thought he knew flew out the window. Instead of being dead, Needy breathed deeply, like he was trying to catch his breath after a long run.

“It … takes… a… bit…” Needy managed a reassuring smile, or at least what he hoped was reassuring.

Milton turned his attention back to Vixen and Ciaran mainly to avoid looking at Needy. His mind kept slipping away from any effort at understanding. Besides the fight was something he understood, something… real. “Souldn’t we do something?”

Needy raised an eyebrow, “You really think… you would… make a difference?”

Milton considered Needy’s words as he watched the deadly dance. This was no ordinary brawl. These women very clearly didn’t need weapons to be considered dangerous.

Vixen had the grace of a dancer while Ciaran exuded the confidence that comes with years of experience.

Vixen lashed out first. Palm out, fingers curled, she drove the heel of her hand at Ciaran’s nose. Had the blow connected, it would have shattered Ciaran’s nose, a deadly blow. But Ciaran wasn’t fooled by Vixen’s feint, and caught her by the wrist with her left hand. Using Vixen’s momentum against her, Ciaran drew Vixen towards her, clotheslining her with her right arm, dropping Vixen to the floor.

Vixen lay on the floor gasping and clutching at her throat. She rolled to the side almost instantly avoiding the kick aimed at her head.

Milton jumped in. Maybe he sensed that Vixen was labouring, maybe it was a misplaced sense of chivalry, but the bravery fueled by whatever his motivations were, quickly left him once he was face to face with a snarling Ciaran.

“Out of the way, fool!” Ciaran’s kick drove Milton backwards into a gurney. His fall accompanied by the cacophony of falling metal instruments trays.

On her feet again, Vixen still laboured to breath. Ciaran’s blow had collapsed her windpipe, and the lack of oxygen, combined with the exertion, was starting to take its toll on her. As such, Vixen was able to avoid Ciaran’s kick, but got caught flatfooted by the follow-up spinning roundhouse kick.

Vixen collapsed to the floor, all the fight sapped out of her, and Ciaran dropped on top of her, a knife appeared in her hand from a scabbard on her boot.

Holding her knife to Vixen’s throat, Ciaran leaned close to Vixen’s face, “I’ve had about enough of you meddling fools! Don’t you realize what’s at stake here?!? Of course you don…” Ciaran pauses in mid sentence as Vixen’s gaze shifts to something over Ciaran’s right shoulder.

Ciaran turns to find her field of vision filled with a metal tray. The force of the blow, drives Ciaran off Vixen and leaves her a moitionless, crumpled heap on the floor.

Vixen looks up at a panting Milton in disgust, the bent metal tray still clutched tightly in his hands.

Milton looks from Ciaran to the tray in his hands in horror and abruptly drops the tray, wiping his hands on his shirt as if they were dirty.

OOC: Sorry for the long post. it's all Needy's fault.

_______________________________________________________________
"Got a headful of lightning
And a heart full of rain
And I know that I said
I'd never do it again
Oh and I love you sweet baby but I always take the long way home."

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Thursday, August 2, 2007 7:27 AM

SAFEAT2ND

"Wisp."

Wisp looked up at the sound of his name. Juanita waved to him, motioning for him to come to her.

He stood to comply when he noticed that she was further away than he had first thought. In fact the more he looked at her, the further away she seemed. It was like looking through the wrong end of the binoculars.

The funny thing was, the further away she got the louder and more insistent she became .

"WISP!!"

OOC: Wisp let me know if this derails your plans. I loved your post and had idea about how he should wake up. If it's wrong, I'll delete it.

_______________________________________________________________
"Got a headful of lightning
And a heart full of rain
And I know that I said
I'd never do it again
Oh and I love you sweet baby but I always take the long way home."

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Friday, August 3, 2007 3:04 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

OOC: It's not my fault! Okay, maybe a little

Ciaran remained still on the floor, as Milton looked down at her, fear unmistakably drawn on his face.

Vixen reached out and clutched her throat, still struggling to breathe whilst feeling the slight cut the knife had made.

"Er... you okay?" Milton asked, still in shock.

Vixen blinked her eyelids whilst subtly nodding her head. She even managed to wheeze a "thanks"

He crouched down and offered her a hand up to which she replied gruffly

"No, I'm good. I'll lay here for a bit"

Milton smiled slightly, some of the shock wearing off, though his hands still shook.

"Just..." Vixen uttered, still clutching her neck "make sure she's out of it"

Milton moved away from Vixen and prodded the still form of Ciaran, pushing her onto her back. Either she was a very good actor, or was indeed out cold, dead to the world. Her breaths were shallow and blood seeped from the cut in her lip.

"Yeah" he answered "you're good"

Vixen nodded in agreement "I know"

Milton smiled even more, his spirit being calmed.

"You be alright for a sec? I'm just gonna..."

"Yeah" Vixen strained her throat.

-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?

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Friday, August 3, 2007 3:20 AM

KYRA

Who we are depends on the outcome of the struggle between who we were and who we want to be

Earlier
The Epsilon:
"They were gunshots!" Amy cried out to Flechette

"Shh, keep it down" Flechette said, not wanting to wake the children or call attention to themselves.

"We gotta go and help them" Amy resolved

"No, we gotta stay put like they said." Flechette ordered "She's outnumbered, and besides Needy's invulnerable..."

"But Milton's not!" Amy interrupted

Flechette gave a sympathetic smile "You really like him don't you?"

"It's not that, he's... They're both in danger."

"They'll be fine. He'll be fine" Flechette said, moving towards Amy and placing an arm around her.

"You sure?" Amy asked, fighting back the tears.

"Positive. Besides, the others will be here soon. We're still now, can you feel it?"

"Yeah" Amy said, wiping a tear from here cheek"

---

Now
The Dwarf:

"Wisp? Wisp?" Safe called out to the young man who was still unconscious. "Can you hear me?"

"Give is some time" Maxine told him. "He just needs to rest for now"

Just then Seryn burst into the room.

"We got her!"

"What?" Safe asked suddenly

"The Epsilon, we finally caught up."

"Good. Where are we?"

"Coming up to Santos." Seryn answered "They're in orbit right now"

"Okay, lets load up." Safe says, before turning to Maxine "You good watching over him for now?"

"Yeah well, I could be but..." Maxine hesitates

"But what?"

"But I'd like to get in on the action. Me and Ciaran got some issues need dealing with"

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Friday, August 3, 2007 3:25 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

Milton stepped out of the medical pod and re-entered the cockpit.

There the figure of Needy stood by the window, staring at the circle of Santos outside.

The protege paused for a moment before saying anything. He'd been told about Needy's abilities, about the changes he'd been through... about the things he'd seen. But this was the first time he had witnessed it for himself. There was no doubt he was thrilled that Needy was okay, but was he really? Amy and Versa were right, the companion had changed, and Milton felt more than a little uncomfortable.

"You okay?" Milton asked.
"I'm fine" the back of the figure replied coolly
"I was going to check on Amy and the others, you mind watching over Vixen for a bit?"
The man by the window nodded his head in response.
Milton licked his lip and tasted blood. Evidently being thrown into a table does result in some injuries.

"We did it" he added "We got back control of the ship."

No response.

Milton shook his head. Needy had changed. Or maybe he was still in shock himself. He didn't know. He just wanted to get back to Amy, let her know everything was going to be ok.

He made his way to the door and was about to open it when the voice of Needy called out.

"Tell me Milton Reeve, what are we doing here?"

"Sorry?" Milton asked, turning around.

Needy had also turned from the window and was facing his former protege. "Why are we here?"

Milton looked into his mind for the answer. "It was Ciaran. She brought us here as part of her grand plan right?"

"No" Needy clarified. "Why are all of us here? Us here in this ship, those on the Dwarf, the ones down there on that planet," he says gazing out the window once more "Why have we been brought here? Thrown together like this"

"I... don't know"

Needy laughs through his nostrils and shakes his head. "We can't stop it can we? Our destiny, fate. It finds us, guides us, forces us to do its will."

Milton walks from the door to meet Needy in the middle of the room. "What are you talking about?"
Needy pauses for a long time before he responds.

"It's coming. The war. And we can't stop it."

Milton gazes at him in disbelief, "What is he talking about? What's happened to him? What happened to the man I knew?"

Needy stares out into space as he continues "It's gonna take so much. So many. So many people, so many innocent people will die. And for what?"
Needy turns to look directly at Milton who, not knowing how to respond, merely shakes his head

"What if you could..." Needy says, thinking out loud "What if you could stop it but you had to... make some terrible choices? Is it worth the sacrifice? Sacrifice your soul, to do the right thing?"

Milton's throat had dried so much that he had to swallow before answering.
"I don't know. I don't really what you're t..." Milton stopped himself, seeing the pain in his mentor's eyes. It was the sheer hopelessness he saw that caused him to utter his next words "You know, you do what you can, for those you love"
"And would you?" Needy replied dryly "Would you be strong enough? To die for the ones you loved?"

Milton looked towards the door and thought of Amy.
He didn't know her all that well, they hadn't known each other for long, but ever since they had met he had been with her. And when he wasn't with her, he was thinking of being with her. He thought about how for so long he had looked for the perfect mate, even thinking he'd never find one to match him. And yet as soon as he met her... he knew. He knew she was the one. The fact that everything seemed to make sense with her, and that he understood her as if he'd known her for years. Inside he felt he could tell her anything, bare his soul. It was amazing how two people could connect so well in such a short period of time. He'd be proclaimed a fool to say he fell in love with her at first sight, but he knew what he felt. And he would. He would give up everything to be with her. More than that though, he would give his life for her.

"Yes" he resolved "Yes I would"

Needy closed his glazed-over eyes, and a small tear ran down.

Milton consoled him "But you don't have to do anything you don't want to. There's no such thing as destiny. We make our own decisions. You are in control of your life. Nobody else."

"I wish that was true" Needy said, his eyes still closed

"It is" Milton affirmed.
He stared at Needy who remained quiet, weighed down with all the problems that had been lumbered upon him. "I'm sorry for what happened to you" he said from the heart.

"And I'm sorry too" Needy answered, opening his eyes finally.
Only they weren't his eyes, but were blazing a brilliant white.

Milton jumped back

Needy suddenly threw his hand out and wrapped it around Milton's throat, then began to drive him into the wall.

The younger man coughed as his breath was knocked out of him, and any replacement oxygen was denied passage as Needy's grip tightened.

He continued to struggle against his friend, chopping at the arm that held him in place with his hands, but to no avail.
Milton's face strained and his eyes blinked as if they would give him the needed oxygen.

He kicked Needy's shins, missing them more than actually hitting, but not that it would do any good anyway.
He wanted to ask why, why are you doing this?" but he couldn't form the words.

"I'm sorry" Needy said coldly "but you are wrong."

Tears streamed down Milton's face in his last breaths.
Then he was gone.

Needy dropped the lifeless form to the floor, it collapsing with a thud

"We all have a destiny" Needy finished.

-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?

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Friday, August 3, 2007 4:34 AM

KYRA

Who we are depends on the outcome of the struggle between who we were and who we want to be

Needy stood over the body of his friend, staring at it in deep thought.

"Oh God" a strained voice came from behind Needy.
He turned to see Vixen standing there, witness to the aftermath of the crime. "What did you..." she gasped, as Needy started to move slowly towards her

We all keep secrets. Secrets from the ones we care about the most. Maybe its because we feel others won't be able to handle the truth, or maybe we fear that if we let go of our innermost secrets, we will lose a part of ourselves, the thing that makes us who we are.
So we lie. We cover it up. We shrink back into ourselves, protecting our own interests under the guise of protecting others.

Wisp remained asleep, whilst in his mind the sun beat down on him and Juanita beckoned him to join her.
He smiled, and stood up, making his way towards her.
In his peripheral vision he caught sight of the man in white, still watching, still waiting for the young man to fulfil his role.
Wisp looked at him, his eyes squinting in the sun, then walked on towards the beautiful naked woman

Sometimes, the truth is not something we want to face. We'd much rather kid ourselves into believing that we are only responsible unto ourselves.

The Dwarf began it's slow approach to Santos, edging closer and closer to the crew's stolen vessel "The Epsilon"

Seryn looked at Safe and Maxine, who had already armed themselves, ready for a fight.

Meanwhile, down the corridors in a locked room, Soul and Kyra listened intently to the story "The Weapon" told them. He had been the victim of more secrets and lies, but he was determined to fulfill his purpose - to expose the ones responsible for their crimes.

We want to believe that we are not responsible for what happens in this world.

On Boros, Clayton runs down the dusty streets towards Lando's Bay, the one hope he has left of catching up to Kurren.

We want to believe that events are the result of fate, an unstoppable omnipotent force that cannot be altered. That way, we can sleep easy at night. Content in the knowledge that we couldn't have done anything to change it

Kurren's ship Bounty Baby left a whirlwind of dust blowing as it lifted up off the ground. The trip back to Boros had set the bounty hunter back a bit, but the information Clayton had given him meant he wasn't leaving empty handed. Kurren grinned as he thought of the reward he would soon have in his hands.
He tapped the computer screen until it brought up the image of Santos, his destination.
Soon he thought. Not long now

But we are wrong. We are all responsible.

On the Epsilon Vixen backed up slowly into the medical pod, trapping herself with nowhere to go. That was when she lost her footing, falling backwards over Ciaran's unconscious body.
Grabbing the knife that Ciaran had tried to use on her, she soon realised it would do no good.

Needy's eyes were a brilliant white, and they pierced right through to her soul.

She started to panic, she had been left bloody and beaten and was unable to raise her voice to call for help. She was on her own. Left to stare into the eyes of Milton's killer.
She wasn't thinking what had happened, nor what had changed him. All she could focus on were his eyes... they were so bright.

Elsewhere, the children continued to sleep, and Amy waited anxiously

We all must do what we can. We may need to make sacrifices to do the right thing, but we must do them. To serve the greater good.

Because a war is coming...

Russia, 1942:
Bullets tore through the land of Stalingrad, hitting soldier after soldier on both sides of the fence.
Comrade Sargeant took shelter behind a bullet-ridden wall alongside another familiar face.
"We're pinned down" he shouted amidst the loud gunplay.
SR took no note as he focussed on the task at hand, clutching his sniper rifle.
The enemy's machine gun sprayed a group of friendly soldiers, ending their lives in an instant.
SR crouched low and maintained his cool as he located the enemy in his sight.
"Please tell him you got him" Comrade Sargent said
SR smiled as the target sat nicely in the crosshairs of his scope. Clutching the trigger with his finger, he waited a brief second - embracing the moment - then fired his weapon. The bullet sailed through the air in slow-motion before ultimately striking its target, endingthe gunner's life in an instant.
"I got him" SR replied
Comrade Sargent smiled for a brief instant before turning to the other soldiers barely hanging on. "C'mon let's go! GO!"
The soldiers got up and ran further into the midst of battle.
SR stopped for an instant as thoughts of the life he'd left behind invaded his mind.
He sighed and pushed them away. Now wasn't the time. He had work to do.
And with that he swiftly moved on, following his fellow comrades into the warzone.

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Friday, August 3, 2007 4:54 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

New thread: http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=11&t=29910

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Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
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http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?

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